


Waves of Gray

by graysonschase



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, F/M, M/M, Minor Jason Grace/Piper McLean, percabeth, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25780735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graysonschase/pseuds/graysonschase
Summary: Annabeth arrives to the Academy for the Gifted. The academy had been hidden from the outside world since it opened. Admission is through invitation only. The only dream of Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, is to be around other half-bloods and attend the academy. Most kids start at a young age but for years Annabeth's father kept her from going but after another monster incident, he decides to send her away. She's been dreaming of this her whole life, but now that she's here, is it everything she thought it would be?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace
Kudos: 5





	1. Time to Leave

**Author's Note:**

> au! this world and these characters do not belong to me.   
> nico and will established   
> hazel and frank established   
> percy and annabeth: 18  
> Jason/Leo/piper: 17  
> frank/will: 16  
> hazel/nico: 15

"she's a danger to our family!" 

"what am I supposed to do? send her to that horrible academy with those other kids?" 

"yes! yes you are! she may be your daughter but we're your family too and you need to make a choice." 

annabeth slowly pulled her ear away from the wall. tears were starting to form in her eyes at yet another fight between her dad and step-mom. she knew that she was a danger to her family and as much as she resented being in that house, she never wanted them to get hurt. 

she pulled on her headphones and pressed play on her comfort playlist. the blonde haired girl took a deep breath and closed her eyes. the image of the hell hound attacking her brothers only the night before replayed in her mind. at the sound of their screams annabeth had sprinted to their room and pulled out her knife at the sight of the monster. 

the boys ran behind their older sister for comfort. even though her heart was pounding and her body was shaking with nerves she quickly and strategically thought of a plan. she managed to push the two out of the room and slammed the door behind her. the hellhound's eyes met hers with fierce determination. 

she slipped on her Yankees hat that allowed her to become invisible. it was a gift from her mother, one of the only gifts and last to receive from her. in a matter of minutes the warrior girl managed to land a deadly blow on the hellhound with her knife and she watched it fade away. 

an hour later her father and step-mother arrived home from their date night and immediately burst into tears at the horror on their sons faces as annabeth told them the previous events. she was met with the same disgusted look her step-mom reserved for anything having to do with annabeth's world. 

athena had visited annabeth and her father years before where she tried to persuade him to send their daughter to the academy. he refused believing that if he kept her close, she wouldn't be subjected to the horrors of being a demi-god. the curly haired girl had begged her father for years but he made excuse after excuse. 

once in a while when she would cry herself to sleep at the idea of having to stay in this house forever, her mother would visit her. the goddess would make a brief appearance and then show her the academy promising that one day her daughter would be there and she would meet people who would change her life. she would dream of the school that took place in a castle and the beautiful forests and water surrounding it. sometimes she would get glimpses of other students but she could never make out their faces. in particular, she kept seeing the back of a boy with messy black hair and he would always be near water.

she was now perched on the windowsill gazing at the moon. another book about architecture laid on her lap but it stayed close. a knock at her door brought her out of her trance. she quickly and slid off her headphones and called out, "come in." 

her father gently opened and closed her door. his daughter watched him cross the room and take a seat at her desk chair which was only a few feet from her. she could see the exhaustion clearly on his face. he rubbed his face and took a deep breath. 

"you know that I love you right? all i have ever wanted to do is protect you."

she nodded at his words. "we think it might be time for you to go to the academy." 

her eyes lit up at her father's words. this was all she ever wanted. she jumped up in joy and into her father's arms. he was startled for a moment before he pulled his daughter close. when they pulled apart he couldn't help but feel scared at the sight of his first born living in such a dangerous world but it's where she belonged.


	2. New Friends

annabeth hugged her dad one last time before she walked away with chiron, the headmaster. mr. chase watched his daughter with sad eyes walk farther and farther away from him behind tall gates wrapped in ivy. she glanced only for a moment behind her to see her dad's retreating back. Her hand clutched her backpack tighter as she walked side by side of the centaur. 

it wasn't until that moment that she noticed how large the school was, after all it was in a castle. chiron watched the daughter of athena with a curious look. he knew since he met her when she was seven and he went to the chase house to ask for her attendance that she was the one in the prophecy. 

"this is the girl's dormitory through here. we don't room you based on your godly parent but rather we like to mix everybody up," chiron explained as he opened the door for her. 

annabeth followed him glancing around at the other girls who watched her with curious stares. she knew that this would happen considering everyone starts the academy very early on in their life. they stopped at a door that had a cutout heart taped onto the door reading 'piper'

after a soft knock to the door, the door opened to reveal the girl who she assumed was piper. she was wearing the school uniform she saw on all of the other girls, a black skirt with a white button up and a black cardigan. however on her cardigan a cursive heart was stitched in red. the daughter of athena automatically knew from the moment she saw the heart that this was a daughter of aphrodite but the girl in front of her was not what she expected. she was beautiful, of course but it was so natural. she automatically put her hand to her neck and covered the scar that the hellhound left on her only a few nights before. 

"hi! you must be annabeth, i am piper. daughter of aphrodite if you couldn't guess by the heart outside," she laughed.

the blonde haired girl immediately felt welcomed at her roommates infectious smile. she stuck out her hand with a smile of her own, "that's me. annabeth, daughter of athena." 

"athena? thank the gods, our room is surrounded by too many other daughters of aphrodite and hermes who either prefer boys or pranking everyone. with the exception of my best friend hazel across from us," she explained jabbing her thumb towards the door that held a skull and bones with the name 'hazel' written delicately in gold. 

"piper, I expect you to teach annabeth about where to go and the rules here," chiron said sternly but also with a small smile. 

the shorted haired girl mock saluted the headmaster as he closed the door behind himself. annabeth threw her bag and suitcase onto the empty bed across from pipers. she could feel her roommate's eyes on her back as she started to unpack her books. 

annabeth turned around with a knowing smirk and plopped herself on her bed. "I know that you've been dying to ask piper, go ahead." 

piper smiled shyly but leaned forward nonetheless. "wow I forgot how clever athena's kids are. anyways, why are you starting so late?" 

the blonde girl sighed, "my dad thought he was protecting me or something but believe me, i begged to come here for years." 

piper took a moment and then bounced up on her feet. "alright you look dead and I really don't feel like asking nico to show us your spirit before school even starts. let's go and get some coffee at this amazing place across campus. one of my friend's mom owns it." 

annabeth perked up at the idea of coffee and food. she was too nervous to eat before she came and coffee had always been one of her weaknesses. "wait, who's nico?" 

piper locked their door behind them and waved her hand. "oh don't worry, you'll meet everyone soon. they're probably all there." 

annabeth felt her nerves come back. of course everyone had so many friends. they've only known each other since they were kids. her sense of not belonging was back again and it didn't feel good. 

Piper seemed to read her expression and sent her a comforting smile. Before she could knock on her door, another girl who she presumed was hazel opened her door. "are we going to sally's?" 

piper nodded nonchalantly and proceeded to walk down the hall. the black haired girl also in her uniform with a black and grey helm stitched into hers turned towards the blonde and stuck out her hand. "sorry, i'm hazel, daughter of pluto. you must be annabeth? i've been so excited to meet you." 

even though she was the daughter of the god of death she couldn't help but feel warm around hazel. she grabbed her hand softly, "that's me. annabeth, daughter of athena." 

hazel's smiled widened, "athena? that's awesome!" 

piper walked them out of the dorms and inserted herself between the two. she took their arms in her own and continued. annabeth was shocked but attempted to hide it. she couldn't believe it, it was only her first day and she already made two friends who it seemed that she was destined to be with. as she took in the smell of the forests and lake she couldn't help but feel like she finally belonged.


	3. annabeth meets everyone

annabeth was overwhelmed with the best smelling coffee she had ever encountered. the café was beautiful and cozy all in one. plants, books, and lights lined the walls. even though blue wasn't her favorite color, there was something about the ocean that always calmed here and she couldn't help but feel the same way as she stood in sally's. 

"of course he's here," piper said with distaste to hazel. hazel rolled her eyes at her friend and sent annabeth a look to indicate that piper was not actually disgusted. "who's here?" 

piper pointed to a blonde boy who stood with the most proper posture she had ever seen but he also had this look in his eyes that conveyed how childish he was. next to him was a boy with dark black hair and bored look but she could tell that he was happy to be there or at least happy to be holding the hand of the boy with yellow jacket next to him. 

next to the yellow jacket was another boy who annabeth assumed was special to hazel considering the way she gazed at him. on the other side of the jason there was another boy with curly brown hair and soft brown eyes. 

they looked almost regal in their school uniforms. each boy had a different symbol etched into their cardigans. the boy with what looked like grease marks on his hands had a fire stitched on his. the blonde boy piper couldn't stand had a lightning bolt. the one with dark hair shared the same helm as hazel and a yellow sun peeked out from underneath the yellow jacket of his boyfriend. finally, the last boy had a red sword etched on his. 

"that would be golden boy jason grace. his dad is jupiter or whatever so he thinks he's all that," piper said with a bitter tone. 

hazel laughed, "in piper language, that means she likes him." 

annabeth laughed as piper's jaw dropped in shock. "i do not, how dare you? i can't stand that pompous jerk." however, annabeth didn't seem to believe her. 

as the three walked over, hazel ran over to the boy and he hugged her tightly. As she pulled away hazel tugged annabeth forwards and displayed her to the rest of the boys. "this is annabeth, daughter of athena." 

she sent them all a small wave which they all responded. piper started to name off the boys while also pointing their way. she started with the boy who was holding hazel with one arm still. 

"that's frank, son of mars, also hazel's boyfriend. The one in the yellow is will, son of apollo and next to him is mr. sunshine, his boyfriend nico, son of hades. last and definitely least, that's jason, jupiter's kid." 

jason grabbed his heart mockingly and pretended he was hurt. "ouch pipes, that hurt. come on, we all know how much you love me."

"keep dreaming sparky," piper waved as she pulled the blonde haired girl into the seat next to her. 

"don't tell me i'm missing piper messing with blonde superman over here," another voice chimed making the whole table burst into laughter. the first feature annabeth noticed his sea green eyes. her eyes widened in panic at the messy black hair and his cardigan which had a trident with a wave behind it stitched into it. no way, she thought.

after piper got done laughing at jason's hurt face she turned to percy. "hey percy, this is my new roommate annabeth." 

percy turned towards the two and stopped alarmingly at the sight of the girl in front of him. he coughed and made his way over to her. "this is going to sound so incredibly weird but can you turn to the side?" 

the rest of the table watched the two in utter confusion. "I'm sorry what," annabeth asked shocked. percy glanced at his friends who were looking at him like he was hydra and had multiple heads. he stared into the grey eyes of the girl he just met pleadingly. 

she sighed but stood up nonetheless. the moment she turned, percy felt it more whole than he ever had before. jason, leo, and nico noticed the recognition in his eyes and slowly started to put the pieces together. 

"no way, his girlfriend is real," leo yelled in excitement.


	4. the big three

after the awkward encounter with percy, the blond haired girl went back to her dorm with her two new friends in a sort of daze. after the son of poseidon had asked his strange request she couldn't stop thinking about those sea green eyes. after so many nights and dreams about seeing the back of her mystery boy by the water she couldn't help but feel it was fate to meet percy. 

"so are we going to talk about how percy stared at you like you were my mom," piper asked with a giggle. 

the two roommates were lying on their own beds. annabeth had finally unpacked the small amount of clothes she had and laid out her uniform for the next day. her hand softly traced the owl stitched into her own cardigan. 

"i don't even know what that was all about! did you see the way he just ran out of there and the way those three just followed him?" 

piper turned her head towards her new friend. "oh, those three? nico, jason, and leo are his closest friends and they share practically everything." 

annabeth nodded with a look of understanding. piper set down her laptop and turned her body towards annabeth, "a few years ago nico lost his sister and blamed percy but eventually nico realized that percy was one of the only people he had left and after that they were closer than ever." 

at the mention of percy being kind and caring annabeth couldn't help but form a small smile on her face that her brown haired friend noticed with a smirk of her own. she cleared her throat, "and the other two?" 

"the friendship with leo is actually kind of funny. you know, leo with his fire and percy with his water? but for some reason, those two just work so well together. percy is the big brother that leo needed and leo always seems to keep kelp head on his toes." 

annabeth smiled as she remembered how excited leo was to see percy and how he was the first one to follow him out of the café. she raised her eyebrow toward piper, "and golden boy?" 

piper scoffed but annabeth could see a small spark in her eyes at the mention of him. "jason and him weren't always best friends. when they were younger they used to fight all the time, being the sons of the big three and everything. they both had this idea that they were the leader and finally one day when we were all about 14 they realized that everyone benefitted them working together. from then on, you rarely see one without the other." 

"and what are your thoughts about- what did he call him? oh yeah, blonde superman," annabeth asked with a laugh. 

piper launched one of pillows at annabeth's face sending a wave of laughter throughout their room. "he thinks that he's a literal god sometimes and i think he's so full of himself sometimes, but he has his moments." 

a smirk grew on annabeth's face as she watched her friend talk about jason with a wistful tone. piper shook her head and her face became serious again, "it doesn't matter what i think anyways. everyone at this school seems to be in love with percy or jason, my sisters especially with jason. we're friends and that's all he'll ever see me as, let's just say my mom probably doesn't even know i exist.

"that's what makes you different piper. and you are completely your moms daughter, the way i felt so calm and comforted around you, it's just so natural for you, just like how naturally beautiful you are. i think jason notices that too." 

the two girls laid on their bed in silence for a moment. annabeth had never truly had a friend before in her life but she knew that piper was more than that. piper already felt like the sister she had always wanted. 

annabeth turned off the lights in the room with only the moonlight shining through the room. "hey annabeth," piper whispered from her head. 

annabeth hummed in response "thank you for that. i'm so glad that you're here." 

"me too, piper. me too."


	5. the core four

percy ran out of the café after hearing leo's realization. he was right, leo was right. not the girlfriend part obviously, he only had just met the girl but there was no doubt in his mind, annabeth chase was the girl of his dreams. no, in my dreams, he corrected his mind. 

he didn't have the chance to even say so much as a hello to his mom before he sprinted for the place he felt the most control, the docks. he had been sitting on the edge with his feet in the water when he heard three pairs of footsteps running up from behind him. 

"dude you can't just ask the new girl something like that and then just run out," leo chided him as he took the spot next to the son of poseidon. 

"give him a break valdez, he just realized that the new girl was the girl in his dreams," nico added with a pointed look. 

jason sighed, "percy you can talk to us dude. i mean am i a little mad that i now owe this idiot $20? sure but we're your best friends." 

the son of jupiter and the son of hades lowered themselves to sit behind percy and leo. percy took a deep breath. he had been through so much throughout his life and when life seemed to be finally going normal this girl that he would see in his dreams is now all of sudden sitting in front of him at his mom's café of all places. 

"it's just so crazy," percy started, "she had been in my dreams for years, literally years and now she's here. there was always this small part of me that knew she was real but there was never a chance we would actually meet. what does this mean?" 

jason patted his friend's shoulder. he exchanged looks with the other two boys who shrugged their shoulders in response. "it's obviously not a coincidence but we'll figure this out. together. like we always do and always will." 

percy felt comfort knowing that he had all of his friends but these three most importantly helped keep him afloat even when he felt like was drowning in pressure. "i mean she's kind of cute," leo added with a laugh. 

the green eyed boy sent his friend a dirty look. the three laughed at his expression as leo put his hands up in surrender. "do you think chiron knows about any of this?" 

everyone turned to nico after his question. "i think chiron knew exactly what he was doing in bringing her here after so long," nico seemed to answer his own question after no one replied for some time. 

percy brought his knees to chest. he glanced down at the symbol on his uniform before looking back towards his friends watchful eyes. "why do i get the feeling that everything is going to change tomorrow?"

that night as the son of poseidon fell asleep across from jason with the window open so that he could hear the waves from the lake, he couldn't help but think about those stormy gray eyes.


	6. the bonfire

"so a little birdy told me that percy asked to talk to you tonight," piper chimed from across the room. 

annabeth spit out the water she was drinking earning a snort from her roommate. the blonde girl blushed profusely, "are there no secrets at this school?" 

piper finished her last braid that had two blue beads and a small feather woven in. she crossed the room over to her blonde haired friend. "no there are, trust me. i mean an actual bird told me. frank can shapeshift." 

annabeth's eyes widened at the revelation. "i know i'm new here and everything but can every child of mars do that? also why do some of you guys use their greek names or some of you use the roman names? i know all about the different names but i didn't know here that you all used them." 

piper's eyes widened by the number of question. annabeth quickly shook her head and apologized profusely. the daughter of aphrodite ceased her friend's rant with a calm touch of her shoulder. "you don't have to apologize. i'm sorry that i keep forgetting that you didn't start here so early like the rest of us." 

annabeth put her head down in embarrassment. she had always been the smartest and most strategic person in the room even if there were people twice her age too. it had only taken one day at the academy to make her feel like she had never felt before, useless and dumb. piper guided her over to annabeth's bed and gently moved over the books laid out. 

"first off, frank is the only one. his whole family was blessed a long time ago the power to shapeshift, it's kind of this thing," piper laughed. "as for the names of our parents, well this academy didn't use to be so big. apparently the first couple of hundred years that this school was open only greek demi-gods were admitted and there was another school for the children of the roman gods." 

"then a few hundred years ago when olympus moved to northern america, the gods decided to join the two. at first there was so much conflict considering how stricter the roman school was. eventually they made it work and now here we are. but annabeth if you have any questions, ever, you don't have to be afraid to ask. i'm always here for you." 

annabeth launched herself into her friend's arms. this was still all so new to her, having a friend she could trust and even hug. she didn't have many friends growing up and she never really allowed anyone to touch her. piper warmly hugged her back grateful to have annabeth as her roommate. 

piper broke the hug and then jumped up putting her hand out. "well we still have this dumb bonfire to go to." the sound of thunder and lightning boomed outside for only a second. piper rolled her eyes at the gods antics. "sorry i meant we still have to go to this very important bonfire where we get to worship the parents who we never see," she sassed back. 

"i don't think sassing the gods is a good idea pipes," another voice chimed in. standing at their bedroom door was hazel with a grin plastered on her face. annabeth looked at the daughter of pluto in confusion as to how she was in their room. hazel seemed to notice the puzzled look on her face, "sorry before piper got a roommate the key was for emergencies and she has one to my room. but i can give it back if you're not okay with it." 

annabeth shook her head, "no please keep it! it's nice to know we have another person close looking out for us." hazel pocketed the key away with a smile. "in that case you should get one for my room too." 

the daughter of athena nodded and grabbed her friend's hand and pulled herself off of her bed. she threw on her favorite denim jacket over the bright orange shirts that they were permitted to wear for the bonfire. everyone was permitted to wear a pin representing their godly parent on either their shirt or jacket. 

the three girls tucked their own personal dagger into their jackets and headed off to the bonfire together with no clue about what would happen next. 

percy spotted her curly blonde hair from a mile away. he was surrounded by the rest of the boys from his friend group. will had his arm over nico's shoulder who had a look of distaste of the idea of showing affection around other but everyone knew how much nico loved it. 

"awesome bonfire, right," leo asked once everyone had joined together. hazel laughed and pushed her friend, "you only say that because you made it valdez." 

frank laughed at his girlfriend's comment and the look of hurt on leo's face. "how dare-" leo was quickly cut off by frank covering his mouth with his hand sending him a pointed look to let it go. jason laughed at his friend's antics making piper discreetly watch the laughter she grew to like so much. 

"um annabeth would you want to check out the lake with me?" 

jason shook his head in confusion. "she's already seen the lake and it's dark what does she need to see?" 

everybody turned to jason with a look of exasperation. piper walked over to him and patted his shoulder. "for being the golden boy you really are dumb sometimes. now let's go get me a drink because i need it."

the friend group followed after piper and a confused jason but not before leo could turn around and send his best friend a wink behind annabeth's back. it wasn't until percy and annabeth walked away that they heard the loud exclamation from jason, "oh i get it now!" followed by a round of laughter. 

the son of poseidon and the daughter of athena made their way over to the docks in a comforting silence. once they reached the sand beside the docks they settled down into the sand. the only light they had was the shining light of the full moon but he could still clearly seeing her beautiful gray eyes. 

this is going to sound insane," percy started. annabeth smirked, "you mean even more insane than you asking me to turn to the side and then running out of your mom's café?" 

percy laughed at her words. he could get used to this, he thought. "actually yeah. you see for past few years after my dad came to me in a dream one night sometimes my dreams would be of a girl with curly blonde hair but only the side of her. one time, i thought i saw her eyes and they looked just like yours." 

"anyways, my dreams didn't exactly feel like dreams. they were like i could see what you were doing or had done throughout the day. sometimes i would see you reading your architecture books or making your sketches. other times i would see you crying after a hard day of school or because of your parents, but i never knew who you were and i could never talk to you." 

percy had his head down avoiding the embarrassment of having to talk about his dreams. what he didn't expect was to feel a warm hand on his arm. his sea green eyes met her stormy gray ones. "well seaweed brain, you're not the only one. from the moment you walked into that café, i knew that you were the boy in my dreams. mine were pretty much the same but with you sword fighting or most of the time just you at the water." 

"seaweed brain?" he asked with a laugh. she nodded proudly and laughed along. percy shook his head but he loved the idea of her giving him a nickname. "alright well than wise girl, any ideas as to why this happened?" 

annabeth opened her mouth but before she could respond a loud scream interrupted her.


	7. bonfire part 2

percy and annabeth exchanged quick looks of surprise before running back to the bonfire. annabeth searched for her friends to find them huddled together near chiron. the two ran over to their friends with panicked expressions. 

"what in the hades is going on," percy demanded when they reached their friends. 

across from them sat a sobbing girl with a heart pin on her blue jacket. piper noticed the return of her friends and with no hesitation brought her roommate into a hug. annabeth could feel the worry seeping from her friend and made sure to hug her tighter. 

"unfortunately one of our students is missing," chiron answered. 

annabeth pulled away from her friend to look over at the headmaster. the sobbing girl was surrounded by other worried students who were trying to comfort her with blankets and hot cocoa. 

"who is that and who's missing?" 

hazel joined her two friends closely and answered annabeth, "the crying girl is one of piper's sister valentina diaz and apparently whatever guy she took to the forest is gone. she screamed and then ran back over here in hysterics. piper had to use her charm speak to get to tell us what happened." 

piper cut in with her arms over her chest as she glared over at her other sister who annabeth learned earlier in the day was drew. "all she gave us was that she heard a monster-like sound and then something or someone pulled the boy she was with away." 

"we're glad you guys are okay," jason said with a look of relief. "we didn't know if whatever took him got to you both." 

annabeth sent the blonde haired boy a smile, "thank you jason. we appreciate that." 

before percy could respond another panicked voice cut him off. "where is my brother? has anyone seen my brother?" 

annabeth turned to find the voice belonged to a friend of her own friend group, connor stoll. her friend's eyes went wide as the realization sunk in. valentina went into the forest with travis stoll. travis noticed his friends and annabeth and ran over to them, "please tell me you've seen my brother." 

the group exchanged nervous looks. annabeth had been introduced to the brothers earlier in the day and she couldn't help but like both of them from the moment she met them. percy pulled connor into their huddle and shook his head. 

valentina's cries turned louder at the sound of his cries for his brother. drew rolled her eyes and popped her bubblegum. "whatever, one less annoying hermes kid bothering me." 

piper turned to her half-sister in rage, "how about you close your mouth for once drew? can't you see we're all worried here." drew turned to piper with a mockingly innocent look on her face, "oh i'm sorry i forgot that i was supposed to care." 

piper lunged towards her laughing sister but jason grabbed her arm and held her back shaking his head. annabeth had never seen anyone in her life relaxer faster than her friend did in jason's arms. her murmured something in her ear to which she nodded and stepped back into their huddle. the rest of the group exchanged knowing looks but concentrated back on connor who was filled with panic. 

"everyone to their dorms now," chiron bellowed. all of the students scattered quickly back to their friends except for the group of friends who were still surrounding connor. 

once chiron made his way back over to annabeth she quickly spoke, "we have to go see what that was and make sure it doesn't touch anyone else right? we can split up into groups-" 

annabeth was cut off by chiron, "no what you will all do is going immediately back to your dorms. connor you can stay with whichever your friends you prefer tonight and then we'll reconvene in the morning." 

leo's eyes blazed at the idea of leaving, "you just want us to go to sleep? isn't this what you all have bene training us for at this school? to go out into the world and take on monsters?" 

chiron sent the brown haired boy a glare. "yes but you're also just kids. we don't even know what was out there or if anything was. we'll know more in the morning. now to your rooms." 

without the chance to respond chiron left the group of teenagers hastily. nico exchanged looks with percy and they seemed to have a mutual understanding. nico nodded his head and tugged on connor's arm. "come on connor, you can bunk with will and i tonight." 

connor looked up at his friend sadly and nodded his head. will looked at his boyfriend with a look of admiration. annabeth could tell that this wasn't a side of nico that many were permitted to see. the boy still in his yellow jacket from earlier nodded at his friend and followed after the two. 

annabeth felt left out by all of the looks her friends seemed to be exchanging with each other. frank seemed to subtly notion towards annabeth as if to ask, what about her? with no hesitation at all, the rest of her friends all nodded their heads in agreement. 

piper turned to her best friend. "you trust us right?" 

annabeth looked over at their determined faces. piper was watching her with gentle eyes, hazel and frank with trustful looks, jason and leo with proud looks, and finally percy with a look of hope. she had only known these people for less than two days but she already knew her answer from the moment she met them. "with my life." 

bright smiles spread across each of their faces. "in that case, let's go catch a monster and find our friend." 

hazel pulled out her purse with a smile. "well it's a good thing i never forget this then." she whispered a word in ancient latin too quickly for annabeth to decipher. the bag shimmered and she opened it and began to pull out various weapons. 

frank stood tall with his bow and arrows slung over his back. percy held his pen tightly in his hand that annabeth had learned was his sword, riptide. jason's gladius sword shimmered under the moonlight. leo secured what annabeth quickly recognized as a magical toolbelt with a proud smile. piper traced the outline of her dagger, katoptris, proudly. hazel pulled her sword out but handed it to frank to hold. 

with one last grab towards the bag she handed annabeth her yankees cap leaving a shocked look on her face. "sorry i remember you telling me about your hat and how it makes you go invisible and i am always the one who holds the weapons no matter where we go and i knew it would be handy." 

annabeth shook her head with a smile. it felt good to be included and thought of. she grabbed her hat and tucked it into her back pocket while also grabbing her celestial bronze knife from her jacket. percy caught her eye and she could see the worry in his eyes but she knew that he had to mask any worry he had because everyone was looking to him. 

"you ready for this wise girl?" 

"i have never been more ready seaweed brain."


	8. the brothers

annabeth clung on to her knife a little harder when she thought she heard the crunching on twigs. the group decided to split up into two groups despite her arguments not to. the blonde haired girl was with percy, piper, and jason. 

piper was only a few feet behind her with the blonde haired son of jupiter next to her. the son of poseidon hadn't moved farther than six feet away from annabeth from the moment they stepped foot into the forest. even though annabeth had sounded confident earlier with percy her heart couldn’t help but beat quickly the longer they stayed in the dark forest with only the moon as a source of light. 

"wait is that what i think it is?" 

everyone turned at the sound of jason's voice. he carefully stopped in front of a tree and bent down to retrieve a small object. The group of four teenagers felt a sunken feeling int heir chest at the sight of caduceus pin representing the god hermes. 

"that means he was taken right here," piper announced with a sadness in her voice. 

before anyone could respond to the girl growls interrupted her. a set of two to be exact. the four assumed position with their backs against each other and their eyes watching the trees. 

two monsters walked out of the darkness allowing the four to see them more clearly. they seemed to look like bears but they were morphed hideously. they bared their canine teeth at the teenagers. a shiver went down annabeth's back as the two bears inched closer to them. 

"you took our friend," percy yelled with courage annabeth didn't know he possessed. 

annabeth noticed that the two bears had identical torn shirts on but she could hardly make out the letter on each of them. it took her a moment and then her eyes widened at the A and O on their chests. "my gods," she breathed. 

the one on the right with the A on his chest smirked dangerously. "you think you're so brave son of poseidon? this is only the beginning." 

while the other three looked at him in confusion, jason decided to take the surprise route and went charging towards the bear with an O on his chest. 

annabeth and piper glanced at each other briefly and charged towards the one who spoke to percy. piper slid underneath his legs while annabeth went for his front. the monster roared and swiped annabeth sending her into a tree trunk. "annabeth," she heard someone yell. 

he roared once again and she heard piper's yell as he threw her into the same tree he threw annabeth only moments before. "piper," jason yelled in worry. 

annabeth quickly shot up and pulled her friend up. percy and jason were struggling against their own monster to the side of them. "how about i use my hat and try to take him from behind and you distract him in the front." 

piper smiled and took a fighting stance. with a subtle nod, annabeth slipped on her cap and ran behind the bear who couldn't see her. as soon as she heard piper's war cry as she charged at the bear once again, annabeth jumped on the bear's back taking off her cap and taking him by surprised. piper plunged her knife in the abdomen on the monster and annabeth plunged hers into his back. 

the daughter of athena quickly jumped off of his back landing next to her friend watching the monster roar one last time before he fell back. the monster percy and jason were fighting turned at the sound of his brother's cries and threw the boys off of him and marched towards the two girls. 

before he could get too close an arrow whizzed in front of his face taking him by surprise. annabeth turned to see the rest of her friends who must have heard them fighting. 

leo rubbed his hands momentarily before shooting a blast of fire towards the bear. hazel ran forward cutting his leg sending him falling towards the floor. "percy, jason, now" leo yelled. 

annabeth watched with amazement as the two best bent their arms back in sync. she could see the water and lightning building in each other hands before they moved as one and sent the two elements towards the bear. the monster roared at the pain but ultimately fell on his back. the seven rushed over ready to finish the monster off but they realized that he was only moments away from disappearing. 

"you seven don't know what's waiting for you. they will return," he said with a smirk before turning into specks of gold dust. 

"what were those things," jason inquired with heavy breaths. 

"those were brothers. oreius and agrius. they were the product of a mortal and a bear due to a feud between aphrodite and artemis," annabeth answered still staring at the spot the monster once stood. 

percy whirled his head towards her, "i  
mean i know you're smart but you haven't even gone to this to school learn about monsters, how did you know that?" 

annabeth grimaced as she recalled a familiar pair of blue eyes and blonde hair. "because they work with someone i know- well someone i thought i knew. the name luke castellan ring a bell?" 

a collective gasps escaped her friend's mouths. annabeth met their questioning eyes with a grim expression. "isn't he the demi-god who turned rogue and ran away," hazel asked. 

annabeth nodded solemnly. "he told me that he went here. i got this letter one day to meet another demi-god at the park down the street. he knew of my predicament and taught me everything. without his help monsters would have killed me and my family a long time ago. luke was this older brother i didn't know i  
needed." 

percy couldn't help but blush at the idea of someone else knowing her before, especially luke, the one demi-god he couldn't stand. his body relaxed as annabeth's eyes shined with sadness and anger. "i thought my mom had sent him to protect me or something. then one day he started to talk really badly about the gods and he asked me to join them. i said no and ran away from him and i never heard from him again." 

piper and hazel held their friend's arm on either side comfortingly. "wait, who's they," frank questioned. 

annabeth quickly wiped away the single tear that fell down her cheek. the daughter of athena rose her head high and voiced with conviction, "he's working with kronos, gaea, and every other monster that has a grudge against their gods. they're all banding together and they're recruiting demi-gods."


	9. the home for everyone

"where in the hades are we going," annabeth yelled as she was trying to keep up with her friends.

after her confession about luke, percy had called a family meeting which annabeth wasn't too sure would entail. left out of the loop once again, annabeth followed her friends. 

honestly she had no choice considering how after his proclamation percy gently took her hand in his own and pulled her along. the rest of the group exchanged knowing smirks but didn't speak on it. 

piper had sent a text to will and nico about the meeting. "we're going where we always have our family meetings," piper answered. 

"family meetings?" 

"can we explain once we get there?" 

the group stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. they turned to see nico leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. "where's will," frank asked. 

although they were an unlikely duo, frank had become one of will's closest friends. since percy, jason, leo, and nico were so close, the two always felt a little on the outside of their group of friends. over time will and frank talked more and more and now they were each other's closest friends. 

"he's already there. i dropped him off and then shadow-traveled here," he explained walking towards his group of friends. 

annabeth had read about how the children of hades could shadow travel but she was still awed at the idea. "two at time, you know the deal," nico added. 

piper and jason went first but not before piper could send her roommate a comforting smile. annabeth's nerves rose as she watched all of her friends leave until it was only her and percy left. "i've never done this before," annabeth whispered in his ear. 

percy gave her a smile, "it honestly feels pretty horrible the first time and the next few times. just close your eyes and don't let go of his hand." 

the daughter of athena nodded and held her head up high. nico appeared before the two looking exhausted. "you so owe me percy," nico gritted. 

percy smiled and clapped his friend's shoulder on the back. "anything you want death breath." 

nico shook his head in annoyance and stuck out his hands towards the two. annabeth glanced at percy before slipping her hand into nico's cold one. nico gave her an encouraging squeeze before closing his eyes. 

the blonde haired tightly shut her eyes when she felt a gust of cold air. her face felt like it would met off for a few seconds before her feet hit solid ground. even though she felt she could throw up any second, she managed to ignore the feeling and opened her eyes. 

"welcome to my home," percy announced. 

they were inside of a living room that felt warm and cozy. with one glance around the room and all of the pictures of the kids but mostly percy, she knew this had to be the home of sally, percy's mom. 

annabeth noticed all of her friends spread out around the living room as if they had been here numerous times. suddenly nico who didn't look too well, fainted in percy's arms. 

"mom!" 

"nico!" 

a thin woman ran into the room and knelt next to nico stroking his face. "he's just exhausted from traveling. hurry percy put him in his room." 

percy nodded and ran off with nico in his arms and will behind him. the thin woman who bared a resemblance to percy turned the blonde haired girl with a smile. "hi! i'm sally blofis. you must be the famous annabeth my son told me about yesterday. the one from his dreams?" 

the group stifled a laugh as they watched annabeth's cheeks turn red. sally sent the teenagers a look making them all immediately stop laughing. "don't worry about them dear. these kids are practically my own and with just one look, they know who's in charge," she said with a proud but loving smile. 

sally turned towards the stairs but briefly called out to annabeth as she started walking up. "can you bring me a glass of water dear?" 

annabeth turned to her friends in confusion. piper only smiled at her pointed towards the kitchen. the blonde haired girl tucked her hair behind her ear and quickly filled up a glass with water. 

she walked up the stairs and made her way to the only open door. percy and will were whispering in the corner while sally sat next to nico lying on the bed. ambrosia was laid on the bedside table near nico with a chunk of taken off. 

the daughter of athena held the water out to sally who took it with a smile. sally slowly raised the glass to nico's lips. he sipped it carefully and then laid his head back down again with a smile she had never seen on him before. 

"thanks mom," nico mumbled before completely falling asleep again. sally covered her mouth and the three could see the tears forming in her eyes. the mother smiled softly and placed a kiss on his head before ushering everyone out of the room. 

annabeth was stopped by a hand on her arm. she turned to see percy who quickly retracted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck in worry. "can i show you something?"

without hesitation she nodded and followed him another room that she quickly took as his. they climbed through his window and onto the roof where the bright moon was still shining. 

"you wanted to know why we called it a family meeting right?" 

annabeth nodded as she pulled her knees to her chest. 

percy took a large sigh, "well the thing with demi-gods is that we all really only have one parent who is supposed to be there for you but some of us are orphans. my mom saw how each of my friends were in need of a little more support so over the years she became this honorary mom for everyone. and then we were all one big family." 

"what about nico? he has his own room." 

percy frowned but immediately replaced it with a smile. "well nico, he's a little bit different. his sister passed away a few years ago and we weren't really on speaking terms. then we became closer than ever and he was so alone, but the moment he met my mom he felt at home. so my mom made a room for him and he's my unofficially adopted brother." 

"they're all so lucky to have you and your mom in their lives," annabeth said as she met percy's green eyes. 

"well you're one of us now wise girl. this family may be crazy but we'd die for one another. my mom is your mom," percy continued with a genuine smile, "and for the record. we're the lucky ones to have met you." 

she threw her arms around him and pulled him in for a tight hug. he buried his head into her neck taking the moment in. she could smell the faint scent of sea salt on his jacket. 

"if you two are done making out, we actually need to do this meeting," the voice of leo yelled tearing the two apart. 

the two teenagers looked down to see their curly haired friend watching them with the cheesiest smile on his face.

once everyone was settled in the living room with the absence of nico who was still recovering, sally cleared her throat waiting for an explanation. 

everyone turned to percy who stood behind the chair that annabeth was comfortingly sitting in. "we don't know what but something really bad is happening mom. these two bear monsters attacked us when we went to go looking for travis tonight after he went missing in the woods." 

sally arched her eyebrow at her son with her hands planted on the side of each hip. "and chiron doesn’t know, i'm presuming?" 

the group of teenagers blushed at her accusatory tone. she sighed helplessly and relaxed her arms. "doesn't matter now. what are you going to do about it?" 

annabeth looked at sally with awe. she had never met a mortal who was so nonchalant about their world and about them risking their lives. "jason and i will go tell chiron tomorrow but tonight can we stay the night here? we can just tell him that we all felt comfortable sleeping here after what happened tonight with travis." 

each of the teenagers put on their best pleading faces knowing that sally could never say no to them. sally glanced around the room taking in all of the kids who she cared for her as her own, including her newest, annabeth. "of course you can. but first thing tomorrow, you and jason better go to chiron." 

with a nod from her son, sally walked over to the closet and pulled out a numerous amount of blankets and pillows as if she had done this so many times. "just don't wake up your little sister percy," she said softly before kissing his forehead goodnight. 

sally swiftly made her way across the living room, hugging and kissing each teenager on the forehead whispering a goodnight. she stopped at annabeth who was watching the mother with much admiration. she was pulled into a tight hug as sally whispered in her ear, "i can tell that you're a strong and wise girl annabeth. percy needs that. goodnight sweetie." 

after she had kissed her forehead annabeth's cheeks were red. percy looked at her in confusion but she simply smiled and shook her head.


	10. the missing warrior

"i knew that he wouldn't let us go," percy shouted as he threw one of his textbooks across his room. 

jason rolled his eyes at his friend. "that was my book but okay." 

piper and annabeth who sat on either side of jason on his bed stifled a laugh. percy turned to his roommate with a harsh glare. 

nico and will were sitting on jason's desk while frank and hazel sat on percy's bed. leo jumped off of percy's desk dodging the flying textbook. "since when do we listen to chiron when it comes to protecting our friends?" 

hazel, the more patient one of her friend group agreed with the curly haired boy. "this schools is supposed to teach us how to fight in case something like this happens." 

will who was reading a book about healing lifted his head to add on, "so what are you suggesting?" 

jason glanced around the room at his group of friends who were already watching him and percy. percy looked over at the son of jupiter and gave him a nod. 

"we're going to-" 

a scream from outside interrupted him again. the group of teenagers all looked at each other and ran out of the room towards the sound.

chiron had ran out of the building and was already outside looking for the source of the sound. "clarisse, she's gone," a boy's voice rung out. 

annabeth noticed that the boy running towards them with his hair in a mess and his tie loosened was clarisse's boyfriend chris rodriguez. chris ran towards chiron who was now at the side of percy and his friends. 

"she hadn't shown up to classes all day so i went to the forest where she goes to practice and i found her pin and spear on the ground," he cried. 

annabeth didn't know much of their relationship only that clarisse had helped him through a tough time mentally. she couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy at the sight of the tears running down his face. 

percy's face hardened at the mention of clarisse's name. she may not have been his closest friend but they had grown up together. with an irritated look he beckoned for his friends to follow him back into his room. 

"will, can you stay here and keep us updated on anything?" 

will nodded but looked at percy in confusion, "wait where are you guys going?" 

percy turned towards annabeth who had already figure out what he was thinking. the blonde haired girl answered for him, "we're going after luke."


	11. the god of travelers stops by

"now how in the hades are we supposed to lay low in one of the busiest cities in the world?"

annabeth knew that nico's question was valid as she had also thought of the same predicament as they rode the train over here. los angeles was full of too many mortals that would be in danger if war were to break out. 

"it's just a pit stop on where we need to go. my dad came to me in a dream and told me that the last place he saw luke's ship docked was at castle rock beach," percy pointed out as they were all sat in a diner next to the train station. 

"wait that's next to the getty," annabeth gushed. 

her friends turned to her in confusion having no recognition of the name. she looked at them with a bewildered expression. "you know, the getty? one of the most beautiful places with greek and roman based architecture! so many stop to see it." 

piper smiled proudly at her roommate pulling her in for a side hug. "and this is why we love having the daughter of athena as a friend." 

the rest of the teenagers gave annabeth an impressed look. annabeth's eyes furrowed as she realized something catching jason's eye. he nodded for her to continue. "luke. he always talked about bringing me here. what if he went there? what if there's a clue as to where he went?" 

the group exchanged looks of distaste at the sound of the betrayer's name but knew that annabeth may be right. nico stared directly at his best friend who stopped eating his fries once he noticed eyes on him. percy dropped his food and cleared his throat. "okay so now we have a plan but how are we going to get there? the place is off of some highway?" 

the sound of a car screeching made the group of teenagers turn in their booth. moments later a man walked in with jogging pants and a plain grey shirt but he gave off the power of a god. 

the man slid into the edge of the booth next to frank who looked at the man confusingly. "you kids look like you might need some help." 

annabeth furrowed her eyebrows as she took the man in and it was if she had met him before, or someone like him before. "you're hermes," she breathed. 

the god looked at her and gave her a king smile. he knew about the young girl that luke had taken under his wing. he took off of his sunglasses and observed the eight demi-gods around him. "that would be me dear. i heard through the grapevine that a certain group of demigods were looking for my son." 

"no disrespect sir but your son is a traitor and working against the gods," jason cut in with the diplomatic voice that most of his friends lacked. 

hermes shook his head as he already knew what the son of jupiter was telling him. "the gods already know this and unfortunately there's no time to explain this all right now. now i got you kids a van for your transportation needs as i am the god of travelers." 

nico who never showed much gratitude turned towards the god giving him a small bow of the head in thanks. "thank you lord hermes but if we're to catch up with your son, we must be leaving soon." 

hazel turned towards her brother "but about the check?" 

with a wave of hermes hand a bundle of cash appeared on the table. and with a snap of his fingers, each of the teenagers now had a backpack strapped to each of their backs. "and now you're ready to go. just some provisions for the long road ahead." there were small doses of ambrosia and other goods that would prove useful on their quest.

in the blink of an eye the god was gone and the teenagers were standing in front of an old beat up grey van. "so who's driving," inquired leo. 

not a moment later a pair of keys appeared in jason's hands. "aw man," percy whined but shortly after yelled "i call shotgun!" 

"not if i beat you to it," leo called running after his friend. 

"children. they're children," piper chided as she put her arm on annabeth's shoulder. "we should be used to it by now," hazel added on the other side of the blonde girl. 

annabeth shook her head, "they're going to get us killed aren't they?" 

rather than answer her question the two girls laughed and pulled their blonde friend along with them to the car where the boys were waiting. percy had beat leo to the front seat leaving a grumbling boy in the middle squished between frank and nico. annabeth and her two friends climbed in through the back making themselves comfortable. even though they were in LA it was still December and it was colder than usual. Much to their enjoyment the van was stocked with blankets and pillows. 

there were still hours before the sun went down and there plan was to sneak into the getty at night once everyone had gone. the mist was strong but the teenagers didn't want to take any chances. instead the group of friends decided to drive around. they stopped at random parts of the hills where there were still trees alive. 

their day consisted of piper yelling at jason, leo almost setting the hills on fire, annabeth yelling at percy, and of course piper yelling at jason again to stop taking aesthetic pictures for his social media. nico only watched his friends with amusement and a small sense of loneliness as he missed will terribly. 

the heroes for just a few hours felt like normal teenagers again. as the sun set and the sky turned a beautiful pink shade with purple hint the teenagers ran through sprinklers on a hill. annabeth had jumped on percy's back leading the boy to tip over and quickly catching the daughter of athena before she could fall, placing her on his shoulders. the blonde haired girl seemed to forget what she even was attacking the son of poseidon for and enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair. the rest of their friends watched the two with knowing looks. even nico managed a smile as he watched his best friend laugh harder than he ever had as he kept threatening to drop annabeth. 

"well aren't they adorable," jason gushed as he elbowed piper a little bit harder than he needed to. 

"what would you know," the brown haired girl countered as she shoved the blonde boy back harder. 

"you don't want to start with me," jason teased before launching himself towards the daughter of aphrodite and throwing her over his shoulder. "put me down zappy," she screamed but anyone could hear her laughter.


	12. the hydra

annabeth couldn't help but stare at the amazing architecture the getty had. the water sparkled underneath the lights surrounding it, helping highlight the structure of the buildings. 

"as much as i love a good structurally built building we need to find something that clues us as to where he might be," leo cut in waving his hand in front of her face. 

annabeth's face turned red for a moment before she cleared her throat and turned back to her friends who were watching her expectantly. "why are you all staring at me?" 

percy scratched the back of his neck before moving towards annabeth. "well-" 

the son of poseidon wasn't able to finish his sentence before the floor started shaking beneath them. out of the shadows one large snake head came into view followed by the rest of them. the teenagers immediately formed a circle with their backs to each other. 

"we can never finish our sentences anymore," percy cried as he uncapped riptide. annabeth rolled her eyes as she took out her dagger, "not the time seaweed brain." 

"eight heads, eight of us. we can do this," frank breathed as he drew his arrow back. jason pointed his sword to the sky before charging at the hydra with his friends at his side. 

percy raised his arms building up the water from behind them and splashed one of the heads in the face distracting two of its heads. annabeth jumped on one head and pierced it's eye. 

"jason you idiot," piper yelled catching everyone's attention. laying on the ground was a hydra head. annabeth's eyes widened in terror as she knew the result of cutting off one of its head. 

jason rolled his eyes at the girl, "a thank you would be better! I just killed a part of it." 

annabeth slid off of the hydra running back to regroup with her friends. they watched in horror as two more heads grew back from the stump that jason had left. "you have to burn it before they can grow again," hazel cut in throwing a look towards jason. 

the group looked towards leo as he was the only one capable of manipulating fire. leo smiled at his friends brightly and with a cocky smirk. "so what you're saying is that i am the only one who can defeat the hydra?" 

hazel pushed her way towards the brown haired boy. "it's not the time leo, but yes only you can." 

leo jumped up excitedly rubbing his hands together. annabeth surveyed the area and noticed that the roof was flattened enough for one to stand on. "jason get leo up to that roof while the rest of us distract the hydra and when you have the shot leo, let it loose." 

even though annabeth was their friend the group was hesitant to listen to her command as they usually only trusted and listened to each other. percy grinned at her plan and looked towards his friends, "you heard her. let's do it. hazel, frank, and piper take the heads to the left while annabeth, nico, and i take the ones to the right." 

the teenagers split into their groups and charged with all of their might. it felt like hours had passed when it was only minutes before the burst of fire started. "annabeth duck," percy yelled but it was too late. she has already been hit. 

annabeth screamed as she fell off of the hydra to the ground with an excruciating pain in her side. leo had just finished when the hydra fell over and turned into dust but percy wasn't even looking. he ran over and kneeled by her side. 

"somebody get the ambrosia," he yelled with his voice cracking as he saw the pained look on her face. even though he had known her for only a few days, they've already been through too much for him to imagine her not in his life. 

piper ran over with tears streaming down her face with the ambrosia in her hands. percy's hands were shaking resulting in nico taking it from his hands and carefully pulling off a small piece and dropping it into the daughter of athena's mouth. 

"why isn't she waking up," percy cried after a few minutes. he couldn't stand to watch her lay there not moving. his chest felt heavy as tears started to fall down his face. 

jason pulled in a crying piper into his arms kissing her forehead as she clutched his shirt. even though they fought most of the time, jason was the one to usually hold her. jason and piper always thought the other was a know-it-all or too good for the other but when it cam down to it, they trusted each other with their lives. 

leo watched percy cry from the side of nico with hazel and frank behind him. although annabeth had only came to the school less than a week ago, he knew that percy had been dreaming about this girl for years and it felt like he had known her for so much longer. leo remembered how percy would gush about the girl in his dreams and how smart and talented she was just from the glimpses he could see. although jason, nico, and leo had teased him about his crush on the blonde haired girl in his dream they always had a feeling that one day she would come and make their friend happy. they had never seen percy happier than he was the past few days on the train always by her side and earlier in the night as they were able to act normal if only for a few hours


	13. the dream

"do you think it will work," percy asked as he watched the blonde girl lay motionless in the bed. nico nodded across from him trying to catch percy's eye. 

the group of teenagers were huddled in the hotel room that jason, piper, percy, and annabeth had been staying in. nico had told his friend will's idea for percy to try to talk to annabeth in their dreams. 

"but how do we know it's going to work at this moment? percy has barely slept the past two nights and plus he said she hasn't been in any of his dreams since she got here," jason explained further. 

piper glanced up at the mention of their dreams. "yeah annabeth hasn't had any of him either." 

frank walked closer to his friends from his previous spot on the desk. "but percy hasn't been trying to be in her dreams right? why don't you pray to your dad and see if he can help. he is the one that led you to her anyways right?" 

everyone turned to the son of poseidon whose eyes lit up at the mention of his dad. it was his dad after all who brought annabeth into his dreams. he glanced back down at the daughter of athena who still had bandages wrapped around her abdomen but her face managed to look peaceful. 

with a deep sigh percy nodded at his friends who were all watching him with careful eyes. "we'll be right here percy. no one is going to harm you or annabeth," piper reassured him. 

"i trust you all with my lives and you know annabeth does too. just make sure she's okay. if any time whatever i'm doing gets too much, wake me up. I'm not putting her life at risk," percy added before he laid in the bed across from where the one annabeth was currently laying in. 

percy took one last look at annabeth before closing his eyes. dad, i know this is kind of not usual but please help find annabeth. you brought her to me for a reason and we need to save her. please dad, i can't lose her. after his prayer to his dad percy imagined the sound of the waves that he would usually hear from his dorm. he thought about the night on the beach with annabeth and how her grey eyes shone under the moonlight. 

annabeth was laying down on the wooden floor of the library surrounded by architecture books when the world started to twist around her. she quickly sat up and planted her hands into the ground but instead of the cold floor she was met with sand. 

her grey eyes widened at the realization that she wasn't in the library that she was stuck in before. she gathered her yankees cap that was buried halfway in the sand next to her and jumped up when she noticed a figure running towards her. "annabeth," the familiar voice yelled. 

it took her only a moment to notice the familiar mop of black hair and his piercing green eyes. "percy," she cried as she ran towards him. 

when she was only a few feet away she jumped forward into his arms. as he spun her around she inhaled his sea salt scent. the blonde hair girl dug her head into his neck pulling him close making sure that he was real. 

percy set her back down on the ground but didn't let her go, instead holding her closer. he couldn't believe that it worked and she was in his arms. 

annabeth detached herself from his arms but still kept her hand on his arm. she had to know this was all real and as long as she kept her hand on his arm she knew this wasn't fake. "what happened? is everyone okay?" 

percy couldn't help but smile at how the first thing she asked about were her friends even though she was the one injured. "they're okay. we're all in this hotel waiting for you to wake up." 

annabeth dropped her hand casting her eyes downward in shame. "i've tried percy but nothing will work," she breathed. "maybe," she began but closed her eyes. 

the son of poseidon gently lifted her chin but her eyes remained looking down. "wise girl, please look at me," percy begged. 

slowly but surely annabeth brought her eyes to meet his. she could see the relief in his eyes and another emotion she couldn't identify. no one had ever looked at her that way before. "it's because if you wake up you have to find the boy who was practically a brother to you," he offered with a sympathetic look. 

she wanted to deny it but she knew it was true. percy sighed and grabbed her hand pulling her along to the shore. "i'm not a great swimmer percy," annabeth reminded as she was dragged along. percy turned to her and winked with smirk on his face that made her heart flip. "just trust me." 

with no hesitation she nodded and followed him into the water. the crystal clear water wasn't as cold as she imagined it would be as her body sank lower and lower into the water. a moment later she was completely underwater holding her breath but her hand was still intertwined with his. 

percy closed his eyes and a second later a bubble surrounded the two who were floating underwater. annabeth gasped for air and stared at awe at the bubble around her. she skimmed the edge of the bubble and noticed that she was dry. 

"you bring a lot of girls under water seaweed brain," annabeth asked with a smirk. 

percy's eyes turned serious tugging her closer. "you're the only one wise girl," he said his face only inches from her. his stomach couldn't help but flip as she smiled brightly at him. 

"do you see how easily you came with me? do you know why?" 

annabeth wasn't sure how to answer so she nodded for him to continue. "you came with me because even though you've known us for less than a week, you trust us with your life just like we trust you with ours. i didn't say anything but i saw how you jumped in front of nico. you took the flame for him." 

the blonde hair girl gasped as she thought no one had seen her. "did you tell him? gods, wait, how is leo? he knows this isn't his fault right?" 

"nico doesn't know and you know leo. he was upset that entire night crying and he hasn't been the same since you haven't woken up. but you need to wake up. we need you annabeth." 

percy sighed and continued, "it's scary going after someone you care about but you have us now annabeth. you have friends who would sacrifice everything for you just like you would for us." 

annabeth moved a few steps back creating distance between the two. "who knew you were so wise," she said with a laugh. "it comes and goes," he quipped back. 

"come back to us annabeth. come back to me," percy whispered as he softly rubbed circles on her hand. 

annabeth, with tears brimming at her eyes, nodded and pulling him close into a hug. "let's go back to our friends percy," she whispered in his ear. she closed her eyes and prayed to her mom. i'm ready mom. 

moments later percy gasped as he shot up into a sitting position with the boys surrounded around him excluding leo. before anyone could comment a gasp came from next to him. 

percy jumped out of his bed and saw annabeth who was sitting straight up in her bed. "annabeth," he breathed pulling her into a hug ignoring the looks from his friends. annabeth ignored the smirk on piper's face and buried herself into his shoulder. 

"okay move it water boy. let me talk to her," piper chided as she pushed him out of the way and pulled her best friend into a hug. hazel quickly joined their hug with a bright smile. 

"group hug," jason yelled causing everyone to surround annabeth was a large hug, excluding leo who was a distance away with a tear stricken face. 

annabeth untangled herself from her friends and walked over to where leo was. "i-i- i didn't mean to hurt you annabeth," he cried. instead of responding she pulled the boy in with a tight hug. "it's not your fault leo. you're one of my best friends. i know that you would never want to hurt me," she whispered as he relaxed in her arms. 

annabeth released him and wiped away his tears with a smile. she turned back to her friends with her hands on her hips avoiding the burn on her abdomen. "what are we all waiting for? it's night. let's find our clue."


End file.
